The BMW Welt Opening is taking place today, Wednesday, 17 October 2007 at approximately 12:00 at noon. Around 800 guests and press representatives are invited. The BMW Welt will be opened for public on 20/21 October 2007 offering the opportunity for a look behind the scenes between 10:00–21:00. Starting from 23 October 2007 the BMW Welt will start regular operations.
BMW Press Release:
BMW Welt Opening.
The Opening of the BMW Welt will begin on Wednesday, 17 October 2007 with a festive ceremony in the new building. The gates to the
BMW Welt will then open to the public at large on the weekend of 20/21 October 2007. On the occasion visitors from all over the world are invited to experience the future-oriented architecture of the building for the first time, getting to know and enjoying the BMW Welt exclusively in all areas.
BMW Welt Opening on 17 October 2007.
On 17 October at approximately 12:00 noon Dr. Norbert Reithofer, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, will be opening the BMW Welt, a total of 800 invited guests and representatives of the press celebrating this great moment together. Representing the official inaugu-ration of the new Car Delivery Centre at the BMW Welt, a BMW will be handed over in a special ceremony to the first customer.
The absolute highlight of the Opening Ceremony will be the symbolic opening act by the Team of the BMW Welt, proving through their appearance that the BMW Welt only becomes a venue full of
life, encounter and dialogue through the people who work here day in and day out.
The festive ceremony will be accompanied by the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera with a pianist and several soloists.
Public Days at the BMW Welt on 20/21 October 2007.
Looking behind the scenes from 10:00–21:00.
The next big moment will come on 20 October at 10:00 am, with the BMW Welt opening its gates for two days to visitors from Munich and all over the world, offering them the unique opportunity to take a close look at the various areas and highlights in the BMW Welt.
On the following Tuesday, 23 October 2007, the BMW Welt will then start regular operation, with the first cars being delivered to customers.
Upon their arrival at the BMW Welt, visitors will first receive information on the building itself. To keep waiting periods short and entertaining, presenters will offer an interesting programme of events on a special stage set up especially for the Public Days. The BMW Welt will close on these
days at 21:00, experts being present throughout the Public Days at the individual stations for interesting talks and to provide background information.
BMW Welt. The exclusive tour.
During the Public Days visitors will enter the BMW Welt through the Northern Entrance. The Plaza within the BMW Welt is the ideal starting point for tou-ring all parts of the building and provides an overview of the very unusual architecture and the various areas within this unique achievement in modern design and engineering. Directly next to the Northern Entrance the presen-tation of BMW cars starts at the right, with cars from all current model series being presented in the BMW Welt.
Just a few metres further on, the BMW Individual Exclusive Area presents unique colours and rare materials. The Bistro is to the left, the Junior Campus a few steps further on to the right. The latter is a special encounter and event area for children and young people between 7 and 13, where they can experience the topic of “Mobility with All Your Senses”.
Directly opposite, the visitor will enter the BMW Welt Technology and Design Studio. This is where the enthusiast wishing to experience BMW’s art of engineering and design will receive a comprehensive insight into new developments, enjoying interesting exhibitions and interactive exhibits. One example is a Design Configurator enabling the visitor to create his or her dream car. Another option is to find out all about BMW CleanEnergy and BMW EfficientDynamics.
The BMW Lifestyle & Original Accessories Shop within the BMW Welt is just a few metres behind the Junior Campus. Here, aficionados of the brand, sophisticated accessories or Formula 1 will find a unique range of equally unique products. And this is also where the customer picking up a new car is able to buy accessories on the spur of the moment, such as a roof rack for bicycles or child seats fitted into the car right on the spot.
Continuing along the Plaza, the visitor will reach the Double Cone at the Southern Entrance – a truly unusual, eye-catching section of the building presenting exhibitions on the BMW brand. On two levels, the opening exhibition highlights some unique exhibits, films and vehicles with the focus on BMW EfficientDynamics.
The Double Cone also serves as the ideal venue for exclusive cultural events, with jazz matinées starring hand-picked international artists starting in November and pre-Christmas concerts with jazz and classic music in December.
The Premiere Level, the very heart of the Car Delivery Centre, is right in the middle of the BMW Welt, directly above the Technology and Design Studio. While the Premiere Level will be freely accessible during the public days, only customers picking up their cars will have access to this area in future, enjoying a truly exclusive process when taking delivery of their new vehicle.
Here, customer cars are presented on no less than 20 turntables and ten panorama pedestals, waiting for their new owners. From here the visitor has an exceptional view on the public days of the BMW Museum, the BMW Plant as well as the BMW Building and Double Cone.
Turning to the north in the direction of the underground station, the visitor will then see the Events Forum, the Motorcycle Exhibition and the Premium Lounge where the customer waits for the big moment when walking down the stairs to the Premiere Level.
Yet another striking highlight of the BMW Welt is the Gallery, the large sweeping bridge extending out of the pedestrian bridge connecting the BMW Welt with the Museum and extending through the building all the way to the Events Forum on the northern side.
Through its elevated position, the Gallery offers an expansive view of the BMW Welt, the Premiere Level, and everything happening on the Ground Floor. And it is from here that the visitor also reaches the catering area with the Restaurant International, the Coffee Bar, and the Club Restaurant.
The BMW Welt.
A Meeting Place for Dialogue.
Opening the BMW Welt on 20 October 2007, BMW is setting a new milestone in Munich, at the same time creating a venue for dialogue and unforgettable moments.
“We see the BMW Welt as an outstanding achievement in presenting the world of BMW here in Munich to visitors and guests from all four corners of the globe. In the immediate vicinity of the first BMW Plant, the BMW Museum and our Group Headquarters we not only proudly present our passion for the automobile and its production, but also offer a deeper insight into the world of BMW, our philosophy, our past and future. With this unique delivery of cars to the customer, this unique portfolio of cars and motorcycles, with these exhibits all about technology and design, with the latest exhibitions on specific themes and highlights, as well as outstan-ding gourmet and catering services, and lots more, we are looking forward to wel-coming some 850,000 visitors to the BMW Welt each year”, states Dr Norbert Reithofer on the occasion of the Opening of the BMW Welt.
As a building and an institution, the BMW Welt is a significant interface between the Company, the brand, the products, and the surrounding world. This is indeed the only place able to offer an overall, all-round experience of the past, present and future of the Company, the brand, and the wide range of BMW Products.
Precisely this comprehensive perspective clearly bears out the spirit of authenticity and continuity in Munich, the history of the Company, and the most advanced production facilities and technologies used by BMW.
The BMW Welt, therefore, brings together the social commitment, the sense of responsibility, and the clear pledge of the BMW Group to the world we live in.
The BMW Welt. The Art of Being BMW.
Through its progressive architecture, the BMW Welt is truly a new milestone in Munich. The absolute highlight, of course, is the individualised, highly personal delivery of cars to their new owners. Each year BMW hands over some 45,000 new cars to owners from all over the world picking up their vehicles in Munich, and approximately 850,000 visitors come to see and enjoy BMW’s facilities.
Apart from the exclusive presentation of all car lines and motorcycles, multi-media shows and exhibits offer a clear insight into BMW research, develop-ment, design, and production, providing the opportunity to experience the BMW brand and the Company from virtually every perspective.
A further point is that the BMW Welt features its own Events Forum equipped with the most advanced technology for events of all kinds – this will be the venue for concerts, exhibitions, conferences and live
transmissions, as well as receptions and seminars.
The range of catering and dining services is highly versatile, with no less than three restaurants plus the Coffee Bar at the BMW Welt, just as the range of shops meets all kinds of requirements.
The Junior Campus, a special, independent encounter area based on the latest scientific findings in child and youth studies, caters ideally for children between 7 and 13 as well as school-children from grades 2–7. Indeed, this is where children and young people are able to discover “mobility with all their senses” in a truly playful manner.
The BMW Museum. A Direct Experience of History.
The BMW Museum attracting an average of 200,000 visitors a year was built next door to the BMW Building in 1973.
The concept of the new BMW Museum opening in spring 2008 and offering five times the former exhibition area focuses on the fascinating thrill of the BMW brand borne out by dynamism, sportiness, and passion. More than 100 original exhibits, new presentation technologies, long-term and con-stantly changing exhibitions, as well as new media create a direct link to our contemporary world, the history of transport, industry and society, as well as art and culture.
A central path through the Museum guides visitors through time and space, presenting a wide range of overriding issues and individual highlights. And last but not least, a multitude of different perspectives, surprising insights and outlooks, as well as the all-round focus of the exhibitions presented strengthens the dramatic qualities of the Museum.
The BMW Plant. Passion and Technology.
BMW Munich Plant is the original BMW Group Plant, combining the highest level of engineering and human innovation with genuine passion for the brand. Forming part of the BMW Group’s global production network, BMW Munich Plant builds more than 800 BMW 3 Series (Touring and Saloon models) as well as more than 1,250 power units (straight-six, eight-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, high-performance M-engines for the M3, M5, and M6, as well as twelve-cylinder gasoline and hydrogen engines) a day.
BMW Munich Plant employs some 9,000 associates from more than 50 countries the world over, among them approximately 700 apprentices.
Last but certainly not least, BMW BMW Munich Plant incorporates all technologies in automobile production: a Press Shop, Bodyshop, Paintshop; Engine Production and Assembly, as well as a Toolmaking Shop, the Production of Equipment and Seats, and a Laboratory.
BMW Munich Plant is part of the BMW Group’s worldwide production net-work with no less than 23 plants in 12 countries and therefore serves as a “window to the world of BMW production” in the context of the BMW Welt, individualised guided tours offering a unique and authentic insight into automobile production.
Chronology of the BMW Welt.
From the Start of Construction to the Opening.
The story of the BMW Welt begins in January 2001, with COOP HIMMELB(L)AU under the leadership of Professor Wolf D. Prix winning the interna-tional architects’ contest for the new building. After careful assess-ment and detailed discussion, the Board of Management of BMW AG had decided in December of the previous year in favour of the exceptional design concept proposed by the Austrian architecture office.
The actual designing and planning process starts about one year after the decision, with COOP HIMMELB(L)AU as the architects and general planners interacting with some 30 sub-planners including a total of approximately 120 architects and engineers. In all, no less than 15,000 plans are completed and a total of 800,000 hours spent on the planning process alone.
The Munich Olympic Car Park is closed on 1 August 2003, subsequently being demolished and providing the space for the construction of the BMW Welt. Demolition and disposal operations on the site are concluded in January 2004, allowing the start of excavation work and underground construction. In the months to come one drill hole after the other is filled with concrete, creating a total of 775 pillars in the ground, each of them
17 m or 56 ft deep and measuring 88 cm or 34.5" across. Connected directly to one another, these concrete pillars form a vertical concrete wall as part of the subsequent walls on the underground level. They protect the excavation in the construction pit from earth sliding in and groundwater flooding in from outside. In all, trucks fully laden with earth and soil leave the construction pit measuring 210 m/689 ft in length and up to
120 m/394 ft in width no less than 12,000 times. In May 2004 exca-vation work reaches the bottom level of 14 m/46 ft, 6 m/19.5 ft beneath the groundwater level.
On 16 July 2004 the BMW Welt celebrates the placement of the foun-ding stone in a festive ceremony – and to this day, the founding stone rests firmly in the ground at the Northern Entrance for all visitors of the BMW Welt to admire.
Next comes the construction of the building structure as such, with 55,000 m3 of concrete being filled into the construction site level by level. The first step, obviously, is to complete the underground levels in the
BMW Welt, with 580 parking spaces, the truck delivery area for customer cars, the car washing line, the Daytime Storage Area, workshop, etc, all the way to underground kitchens and catering rooms.
Construction of the steel structures and facades starts at the turn of the year 2004/2005, the high-rise steel structure being a particular challenge in the months to come. Indeed, the complex geometry of the Double Cone and the static structure of the building as such gives the steel construction spec-ialists a genuine challenge. No less than 13,000 assembly plans are compiled for this purpose alone, ensuring full maintenance of safety standards and at the same time maintaining Professor Prix’s architectural concept.
The lower half of the steel structure on the Double Cone is completed by the end of February 2005 together with the underground levels, thus paving the way for work on the interior facilities. By January 2006 work on the load-bearing structure of the Double Cone is completed.
A special party celebrating completion of the building structure as such is held on 1 July 2005: “28 Metres Above Zero” is the highest point on the expansive, “hovering” roof of the BMW Welt supported by countless scaf-folding towers. So following an old tradition, the construction foreman climbs up the building structure right to the top, declaring the structural work com-pleted to 400 guests present on the occasion.
During the turn of the year 2005/2006 the roof of the building is lowered from the more than 150 provisional supports on to the final 12 building pillars. This process of structural downloading is so quick and uncomplicated that the next process of glazing the facade is able to start right away
in February, with windows and glass surfaces covering a total area of 14,500 m2/156,000 ft2. Slowly but surely, the roof is closed completely and the photo-voltaic generator system takes on its final shape. Progress also continues around the construction site, with the largest crane, for example, already being dismantled at this point.
Interior work on the levels above ground comes next in the period from June 2006 to June 2007. The Premiere Level with its turntables and all the technical facilities for the actual delivery of cars, the elevators, catering facilities and technical installations in the Events Forum take on their final touch. Now the time has come for bringing in the furniture and high-lights in interior architecture, with trial operation of the BMW Welt starting in June 2007.
The pedestrian bridge connecting the BMW Welt to the BMW Building Complex made up of the BMW Museum, BMW Munich Plant and the BMW Four-Cylinder Building is completed in April 2007, with the building being officially handed over on 30 June 2007 for trial operations and tests at the BMW Welt.
The Big Day comes on 17 October 2007, with the BMW Welt being officially opened in a festive ceremony with 800 invited guests. And starting on 20/21 October 2007, the gates are open for visitors, customers and neighbours during the public days, allowing visitors to experience and enjoy the facilities prior to the actual start of operations.
The BMW Welt.
How to Get There,
Contact & Opening Times.
Location and Address BMW Welt.
BMW Welt
Am Olympiapark 1
D-80809 München
Germany
Postal Address.
BMW AG
BMW Welt
D-80788 München
Germany
How to Get There.
From Munich Central Station (Hauptbahnhof): Underground (U-Bahn) U4/5: Go to Odeonsplatz and change to the U3 for Olympiazentrum (last station, about 20 minutes)
From Munich Airport:
Suburban train (S-Bahn) 1 or 8 to Marienplatz, change to the U3 for Olympiazentrum (last station, about 70 minutes)
From downtown Munich:
Underground (U-Bahn) U3 for Olympiazentrum (last station, about 20 minutes)
Parking.
Cars and motorcycles:
Parking space (subject to parking rates) is available in the BMW Welt un-derground garage, Lerchenauer Straße entrance. Further parking space for motorcycles (free of charge) is available along the access ramp to the underground garage.
Buses:
There is no parking space for buses in the underground garage. Buses may however draw up in front of the BMW Welt for passengers to get on and off. Bus parking is available, for example, in the semi-circular car park in the Olympic Grounds.
Bicycles:
Space for 40 bicycles is available to the north of the BMW Welt, opposite the Olympiazentrum U-Bahn Station.
Info Service.
Tel: 0180 2 118 822
(6 Euro Cents/min from a Deutsche Telekom landline phone)
Internet: www.bmw-welt.com
Opening times BMW Welt.
Car deliveries: 8:30–17:30, Monday to Saturday
Closed on Sunday
Car presentation/
Double Cone: 9:00–20:00, daily
BMW Welt tours: 9:00–16:00, Monday to Friday
10:00–16:00, Saturday/Sunday
(longer tour hours for customers picking up cars)
Junior Campus: 9:00–19:00, Monday to Friday
10:00–19:00, Saturday Sunday
Bistro: 7:30–19:00, Monday to Saturday
9:00–19:00, Sunday
Coffee Bar: 10:00–19:00, daily
Restaurant International: 11:00–24:00, daily
Club Restaurant: 12:00–15:00 and 18:00–24:00,
Tuesday to Saturday
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
BMW Lifestyle & Original
BMW Accessories Shop: 9:00–19:00, daily
BMW Welt Shop: 9:00–19:00, daily
Car park: 7:00–24:00, Monday to Saturday
8.00–24:00, Sundays
Parking rates: Euro 3.– per hour, max. Euro 20.– per day
When shopping in
the BMW Welt: Euro 1.50.– per hour, max. Euro 10.– per day
